The Canadian Parvasi - Issue 21

The International News Weekly EDIT
08
November 17, 2017 | Toronto
The
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editor@canadianparvasi.com
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India-Canada trade
There is so much going on in India-Canada
relations these days. Ministers from the two
countries have been visiting one another’s
countries.
Three federal ministers from Canada have
just been in India, and India’s minister of
state for defence too has just visited Canada.
Apart from these ministerial-level visits,
there have been business exchanges between
the two countries. Trade delegations from
provinces and trade bodies are also going
to India as November-till-January are the
busiest months in India for such exchanges.
Over 4,000 Indian companies have set up
their offices in Canada and Indians bring in
billions of dollars into Canada each year.
All this is well, but the moot point is that
the trade volume between the two countries
is just $8 billion. This is a very small figure,
considering Canada’s trade with China and
many other Asian countries.
However, there are hopeful signs as the
two countries near signing the two major
treaties - the Comprehensive Economic
Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and
the Foreign Investment Promotion and
Protection Agreement (FIPA).
Once these two long-pending agreements
are signed, businesses and investors in
Canada will be a lot more enthusiastic about
entering India. Experts say the trade volume
between India and Canada is expected to touch
the 20-billion mark within the next five years.
There is also a need to involve the huge
Indian diaspora in Canada in this task. Both
New Delhi and state governments, such as
Punjab, need to increase interactions with
the diaspora to involve them in promoting
business activities between the two countries.
In this regard, the visits of various chief
ministers from India can be very effective
as they can tap their respective diasporas in
this effort.
Thought for the week
There is no such thing as a good tax.
~Winston Churchill
Is virtual Punjabi nation feasible?
Brig Nawab Heer and
Ms Preet Heer
Though religion and language are
part of our emotions, language has one
more quality. As a medium of communication,
it is a channel for expression
of human intellect. Since all human development
is dependent upon intellect,
nations which do not improve their intellect
by developing their language lag
behind.
Take Ireland which was formed on
the basis of religion. The Irish could
not develop their language and that
could be the reason they are lagging
England in development. Both North
Ireland and Scotland are lagging England
because they sacrificed their language
for English. Faster development
of countries such as Germany, Japan,
France, Sweden and Norway can be
linked to the priority they gave to developing
their languages.
Pakistan was created on the basis
of religion, but it neither could continue
for long time as a Nation state
and nor could it progress much in development.
Even India bent upon perusing
English language for short turn
gains; it has remained much behind its
neighbour China. In Indian Punjab, as
Punjabi language got some impetus initially
after partition, it progressed very
fast in agriculture due to new technology
provided to the farmers which became
possible due to development of
their language-Punjabi. Pakistan Punjab
has not developed in agriculture as
against Indian Punjab, since after partition
initially they adapted Urdu over
Punjabi.
It can be seen that due unification
of power of Malayalee language, Indian
state Kerala has emerged as a strong
Malayalee Nation by merging Hindu,
Muslim and Christian religions and
progressed much ahead in India than
other states through the engine of common
language. There are hardly any
religious riots reported in Kerala. If we
analyse partition of Punjab and Bengal
in 1947, both sides of the border much
communal murders were committed
by the Punjabis and Not Bengalis.
There are large number of Muslims
still living peacefully in West Bengal,
as against this in Bangladesh minorities
are being decimated. Whereas in
Punjab, both sides Punjab’s minorities
had started diminishing initially.
Bengali Nation has proved to be more
successful than Punjabi Nation. The
good News is that, whatever, happened
in case of Malayalee’s and Bengalis;
Dear Brigadier Sahib,
You have written what is certainly
the most touching account
that I have read of the 1984 anti-Sikh
riots in India. I was not even aware of
the attacks on the Sikh soldiers who
were traveling at the time. One does
indeed hang one's head in shame at
now may be it is going to happen for
Punjabis also. There were times when
Punjabi was considered offshoot of
Hindustani ie.Hindi and Urdu. Initially
many Punjabi writers started writing
in Urdu and later in Hindi. However,
this trend was changed in 20th century
when high standard and large volume
of writings came up in Punjabi, thus
Punjabi remerged once again the language
of some status. Post 1947, partition
Punjabi literature has gained in
stature and thereafter many NRI’s
writers and Pakistan based Punjabi
writers contributed emencly to this
language.
The language not only fulfills our
emotions, but it is main tool in our
day to day, important, less important,
beautiful, ugly, tasty and less tasty
functioning of our life. If our scholars of
History, Chemistry, Science, Political
science work and think in their mother
tongue their brains are taxed less and
their productivity enhances.
Many Punjabi speaking areas are
in Pakistan, whereas as this language
initially travelled from Multan to Patiala,
Ambala, Chandigarh, Kangra
and Jammu. All these places have different
dialect, but they can all interact
communicate with each other with
ease. Today, the world has become one
big village and Punjabi language is
wide spread globally, still majority of
Punjabi speaking people live in India
and Pakistan.Simlarly,many Punjabi
speaking persons are settled in other
states of India and Pakistan and they
are all connected to Punjabi culture
and sing Punjabi songs with pride on
Lohri day and on other festivals.
In 2001, total population of Punjab
was 2.42 Crores and that of Pakistani
Punjab in 1997 was 7.36 Crores. Therefore,
the total Punjabi population combined
that of Punjabi speaking of India,
Pakistan and other rest of the world is
approximately 13-14 crores; which is
little less than total population of Germany
and France. It is worth consideration
that, if 14 crores people study and
Letters to the Editor
such events.
Sadly, the political class of India
has failed to provide closure to the
victims and their families. Closure is
a mandatory precondition if the people
affected are to move on. There is a
lesson to learn here, even for Canada.
What I liked especially about
your article was your mature and
speak in any version of Punjabi and
just in order to satisfy their social needs
,how many Books,Magzines,News
papers,Films,CD’s,DVDs’ can be produced.
It will not only act as a Social
revolution, but will also become Economic
revolution. If this happens Punjabi
Nation will have its major say in
the Global affairs.Many optimistics
will argue it is unlikely to happen today,
but, it is desirable to happen in the
near future.
In fact Country or a state is piece of
land which is studied by the students
of Geography. We understand that Nation
is civilization. We also understand
that biggest identification of any civilization
is its language since only by use
of a language Human beings become
intellectually strong and attain development
Economically, Socially and establish
a good civilization.
We cannot say that all Punjabis living
all over the Globe have same heart
"In 2001, total population of Pun- jab was
2.42 Crores and that of Paki- stani Punjab
in 1997 was 7.36 Crores. Therefore, the
total Punjabi popula- tion combined that
of Punjabi speak- ing of India, Pakistan and
other rest of the world is approximately
13-14 crores; which is little less than total
population of Germany and France''
beat and same rhythm, but the way,
Punjabis both sides of the Border created
the atmosphere of peace and tranquillity
initially on opening of Bagha
(Post on Indo-Pak border) border for
trade between India and Pakistan, it
gave once again impetus to Punjabi
Spirit as Punjabi Nation. These days to
think about breaking borders can only
be on the imagination of mentally deranged
person, however many Punjabis
of 14 crores Punjabis who are thinking
of cooperation in cultural, economic
and political field which is must for
Punjabi Nation is can create a such a
Nation without physical unifications.
Therefore initiative has to come from
the NRI’s Punjabis living across the
Globe to first make sure we nurture
our Punjabi language to create Cultural
and Economic revolution amongst all
Punjabis of the world. If we cannot create
physical Punjabi Nation, but we can
still think of creating a” Virtual Punjabi
Nation” through our Punjabi language
riding ongoing digital revolution.
( Brig Nawab Heer can be contacted at
nawabheer@gmail.com)
conciliatory tone. We need to come to
terms with our past, even if acknowledging
it is uncomfortable, if we are
unite as one community in a foreign
country. I hope many readers heed
your message to this end.
Best regards,
Darshan
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